The policies of City Farms Market& Grill right off the Southport Corridor will make any parent smile: this tiny gem of a restaurant is dedicated to serving free-range meats that are pesticide- and chemical-free while supporting local farmers.
If you go
City Farms Market & Grill
- 1467 Irving Park Road, Chicago
- (773) 883-2767
- cityfarmsgrill.com
And if that doesn’t do it for you, the delicious food will. With only a handful of tables, much of the venue’s business is on a take-out basis, although lines form for the extraordinary brunches on weekends, served from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Standouts include the pancakes-pumpkin, blueberry, or bacon and banana doused with organic chocolate sauce (sounds strange but is oddly scrumptious); the New York Scramble consisting of farm fresh scrambled eggs with smoked salmon, sour cream, chives and a toasted bagel topped with thick cream cheese; and the bacon and brie omelet. Kids not quite ready for such sophistication can opt for short stacks of regular or chocolate chip pancakes.
For lunch, the MonteCristo, with hand-sliced grilled ham, organic turkey breast and Swiss cheese, served between two enormous slices of French toast, is quite possibly among the best sandwiches in Chicago.
Dinner brings char-crusted sirloin steak accompanied by mashed potatoes and the tastiest green beans I’ve ever had (who knew green beans could be so addictive?). Other solid options are the chicken pot pie, beef pot roast and bourbon-glazed pork chops. The sweet potato tater tots are a huge hit for the kids.
Those with a sweet tooth should order a smoothie, available in a range of flavors such as very berry and melon-and they’ll even sneak some spinach in and your kids won’t know the difference.
